Erosion Rate

Problem Scenario

How is a river effected by a hurricane.

Broad Question

What material has the fastest erosion rate?

Specific Question

Does soil type have an effect on erosion rate?

Hypothesis

My hypotheses is that the softest soil will erode the fastest.

Graph of Hypothesis

Variables

Independent Variable:

sand, soil, water, rock,

Dependent Variable:

Erosion rate.

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:

Amount of earth. Amount of water.

Vocabulary List That Needs Explanation

---

---

---

---

General Plan

I will have three stream tables full of soil, sand, and rock then run water through the table and measure how long it takes them to erode. I will have 7cm deep of earth and 1cup of water i will run it over the earth in a stream table then measure how much earth comes out. This amount will be how much eroded then if you divide that by the total time you will have how much it erodes per second.

Potential Problems And Solutions

That we would be acutely testing water pressure

Safety Or Environmental Concerns

I don't think i have any environmental concerns with my project because everything using for materials is natural and part of the earth.

Experimental Design

(add the correct headings from the experimental design page before beginning)

Resources and Budget Table

Data Table

Time Line

---

---

---

---

Background Research

Erotion can happen after it rains or when something has a stedy stream of water over it. For instance rocks in a river will, over time, become flat and smoth. How ever the top of the rock just doesnt dissapere it is broken down in to sand. With sand, in rivers sand can be flat, or can be built up, like on a sand bar. While the river is steadly moving over the sand it will move it from on place to another. An area that is really flat the sand most likely was swept away and was euther equal distributed, or has been washed up on to a sand bar.
Out of the water the same process happens with dirt, and sand. For example, have you ever seen a little stream running down the side of the rode? If you have it has happened because water can find any nook or crany in something dry, and when it does it makes it deeper. This channels the water down to where it is either drained or makes a puddle. A great example of erosion is the grand canyon. The colorodo river spent hunders of years carving deeper and deeper in to the earth making a deeper and deeper grove as it went. Then over time with the steady flow of the river it became a canyon, that is famous and well known today. In fact the canyon is still getting deeper and unless something dries up the colorado river the prossess of erosion in the grand canyon will never stop.

References

Detailed Procedure

1. Take a 12 by 6 and cut a 1/2 inch hole in the back of the container.
2. Fill the container 6cm deep with your soil type
3. Tilt the contairer at a 30 degree slope
4.put a cup under the hole in the container
5. Poor water slowly over the top of the soil in the same place and time how long it takes for the water to reach the bottom.
6. drain all the water from the cup but leave the soil
7. measure how much soil is in the cup.
8. divid the amount of soil by the time it took to have all the water drain out.

Diagram

Photo List

---

---

---

---

---

Results

All Raw Data

Graphs

Photos

---

---

---

---

---

Data Analysis

Conclusion

Out of the three varriables I tested rock was the one who eroded the least and is the best matrial to build a house on is you live near a river. This may not be possible on the field but in therory rock is the best. Sand moved around the most and the fastest so it was the worst of of all of them. Soil abrobed most of the water but then became muddy and just started running. That would not works because you wouldnt have a house on the river you would have a house in the river.

---

---

---

---

---

Discussion

Benefit to Community and/or Science

Abstract

What earth material has the fastest erosion rate? This in formation would be helpful to know because people who are looking to builg a house on a river or lake will know what is the best material for a foundation. This will also help us when preparing for extremem weather like hurricanes. To test this problem I filled a stream table with different kinds of earth and ran a cup of water through it. When all the water drained out I seperated the material from the water and measured how much was in there. Then I divided it by the time it took to do so and came up with the rate at which ceirten materials eroded at. To put this in a real world sinairio imagen a river like the saco, it is eaisliely flooded and is very sandy. The water is constanlt moving the sand around and when it rains it gets even worse. After the subsides all thats left is old sand in new places. So what once might have been a sand bar could be over your head in water now. Sand and soil were the worst type of earth to build anything near water on because it erodes it all away. Rock is not fathomable to build a house on but erodes the slowst out of all the materials I tested.